9. Neurophysiology of Higher Cognition (Karius)

Question 1

at a neuronal level, cognition is produced by what?

Answer 1

extensive synaptic interactions produced by the pyramidal neurons of the neocortical association cortices

Question 2

What are the four components of the language pathways?

Answer 2

1. conceptual pathway-what concepts are you trying to communicate
2. mediational pathway-concepts relayed via medial pathway to language implementation pathway
3. language implementation pathway-Broca’s and Wenicke’s
4. Speech

Question 3

Learning Language in Infancy

Answer 3

• < 6 months: recognize all sounds that could be language as distinct sounds
• 6-9 months-begin to eliminate irrelevant phenomes, sounds outside of native language
• 1yr: babbling; first words indicate that all irrelevant phenomes are gone
• all spoken words are intermingled regardless of language

Question 4

Language learning in adulthood

Answer 4

new language is coded for in neighboring areas of the brain (as opposed to the main language centers for the primary language?)

Question 5

Emotion Comprehension occurs by recognizing facial expressions in which brain regions? Then bringing in the emotional component which then occurs where?

Answer 5

1. superior temporal sulcus and fusiform gyrus
2. amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex

Question 6

Recognizing emotions occurs where?

Answer 6

• mirror neurons, amygdala and via prosody

Prosody: tune and rhythm of speech and how these contribute to meaning

• Amygdala controls use of eyes and directs gaze to triangle when analyzing emotion

Question 7

Prosody occurs where?

Answer 7

1. primary auditory cortex
2. posterior superior temporal sulcus-for meaning
3. frontal cortex-for emotional content

Question 8

What is the Theory of Mind?

Answer 8

ability to understand mental states (belief, desires, intentions) of others and appreciate how they differ form ourselves

Question 9

Theory of Mind requires which brain regions?

Answer 9

1. amygdala w/ connections to medial temporal lobes (memory, sensory process) and orbitofrontal regions (sensory and emotional process)
2. accessory paths: language and executive functioning (frontal lobe)

Question 10

What provides the visual input that we work with?

What identifies the motion?

What identifies the purpose of the motion?

Answer 10

posterior sector of the superior temporal sulcus

posterior mirror neuronal system

anterior mirror neuronal system

Question 11

What are the three neural components needed to make decisions about risks

Answer 11

stimulus encoding system

expected reward system

action selection system

Question 12

What is the function of the stimulus encoding system?

Answer 12

• decisions with known risks
• orbitofrontal cortex, ventromedial frontal, striatum
• predicts the consequences of actions

Question 13

What is the function of the expected reward system?

Answer 13

decisions with ambiguous risks

components: amygdala, basal ganglia, insular cortex, intraparietal cortex

Question 14

What is the function of the Action Selection System?

Answer 14

• decisions with ambiguous risks
• anterior cingulate cortex
• learning from mistakes, encodes results

Question 15

6 components of cognition

Answer 15

1. language
2. social cognition
3. decision making
4. executive function: anticipate, reason, planning
5. memory
6. visuospatial perception

Question 16

What is true regarding learning a 2nd language during the language aquisition phase? after phase?

Answer 16

• activates same pathway as 1st language: why its easier to learn 2nd language as child
• after activates adjacent region of Broca

Question 17

importance of social cognition? what are its divisions?

Answer 17

important in ability to function in interpersonal and social situations. Persons ability to infer emotional state of another from observable info (prosody and facial expression)

1. emotion comprehension (recognition)
2. theory of mind

Question 18

how would emotion comprehension be affected with damage to amygdala?

Answer 18

spends little time looking at persons eyes and doesnt methodically scan face

Question 19

What is the circuit for imitative behaviors?

Answer 19

mirron neurons of amygdala interact with limbic structures via insula

Question 20

What are the areas which percieve prosody and their function?

Answer 20

1. primary auditory cortex: sound processing thru identifying sound characteristics
2. right post-sup temporal sulcus and secondary auditory cortex: give meaning to those sound characteristics
3. frontal cortex: judge this emotional stimulus

Question 21

How to anterior mirror neurons, posterior mirror neurons, and posterior sector of superior temporal sulcus differ?

Answer 21

1. Post Sect of sup temporal sulcus: Provide visual input
2. Posterior MN: id MOTION
3. Anterior MN: id PURPOSE of motion

Question 22

what are anatomical substrates for the stimulus encoding systems involved in decision making? what is this systems function?

Answer 22

1. orbitofrontal cortex
2. ventromedial prefrontal cortex
3. striatum

Function: evaluates evidence available to make decision

Question 23

what are anatomical substrates for the action selection system involved in decision making? what is this systems function?

Answer 23

• Location: ant cingulate gyrus
• Function: learns and encodes subjective value of results; also error detection

Question 24

what are anatomical substrates for the expected reward system involved in decision making? what is this systems function?

Answer 24

1. Basal ganglia
2. Amygdala
3. Insular cortex: process social emotion
4. Intraparietal cortex: SS process and planning/intent

• Function: predicts expected reward

Question 25

What system deals with explicit (known) risks?

Answer 25

Stimulus encoding system: predicts action consequences

• orbitofrontal cortex, VM frontal, striatum

Question 26

What system deals with ambiguous risk?

Answer 26

• primarily expected reward system: asks what is the reward? amygdala, Basal ganglia, insular cortex, intraparietal cortex
• eventually the action selection system: learn from mistakes. Anterior congulate cortex